End Game
by 18204
Summary: After being tried for treason and found guilty, Sonic is executed before the very people that once adored him most. It's a short one-shot that I wrote about a month ago. Please read and review!


End Game

The hot tears streamed down his face, scorching his skin and sparkling in the noon sunlight as he kept his eyes on the ground in front of him. He couldn't believe that this was happening to him, especially since he knew deep inside that he didn't deserve this. Although he had been tried for treason against the country of Knothole, and found guilty, he had never committed a single crime. He had been framed, once again, by one of the people who hated him the most; his look-alike, Scourge. Scourge had posed as him, even going so far as to color himself blue again, and had publicly betrayed the country while they were at war with Eggman. Though many didn't believe that he, Sonic the Hedgehog, could ever desert the country he loved the most, the government had captured him anyway. He had been confused, very confused, when the army had stormed his house in the middle of the night, but he hadn't resisted. They had placed him under military arrest and taken him away, much to his girlfriend Sally Acorn's protests, and he had been locked in jail for three weeks. During these three weeks, he was tried in court for treason, convicted, and sentenced to death by hanging. He hadn't had a clue why he had been arrested, or why he had been sentenced to death, because he had done nothing wrong. Always he would remain faithful to the Union, always. He would never betray his country like the people in court had said he did! And though he tried and tried to explain himself, and nearly broke down crying because of it, his attempts to save his own life were in vain. Now, under the watchful eye of two guards escorting him down the street to the town square, he was walking to his death. Never would he run again.

Soon, too soon for Sonic, they had reached the town square and all eyes were on him. He didn't look at a single familiar face as he passed by, not even at his own best friend. The words they left behind rang in his head all the way up to the platform.

"Sonic, why did you do it?" A choked sob caused his ears to flatten against his head. "Why?"

He shook his head, flicking a few fallen tears off of his face. He could not say a word to them. He could not deny nor reassure them. Just like he had in the days of his youth, he would remain silent, allowing only his actions to convey his true thoughts. _"I'm sorry,"_ His steps seemed to say to those watching him. _"I'm so sorry. I did not commit this crime... but I will die for those who believe I did." _

The platform stood before him, casting a dark shadow onto his tear-streaked muzzle. He sniffled quietly, taking the first step up, wincing as his hands were roughly pulled behind him and tied behind his back with a piece of rope. He kept his head down as he tentatively took another step up towards the place where he would die, trying his hardest not to burst out into tears and have a crying fit right there on the stairs. Today, he would die with the shred of dignity he still had left. He wasn't going to give that up so easily.

He took another step, reaching the very top of the platform and freezing. It felt almost as if he was on a stage, and everyone was watching him with eager eyes, ready to witness his last performance.

A slight push from behind almost made him stumble and lose his footing, but instead he whirled around to face the guard who had pushed him.

He forced a soft smile. "Heh. Easy there, fella!"

A tearful chuckle came from a familiar face in the crowd, one that belonged to the person he loved the most, Sally Acorn, his former future wife. Once upon a time, he had been told that he would marry her someday, and the two of them would have beautiful children together. Now, that dream he had held so closely to his heart would never come true. He would never get to marry her, would never get to grow old with her, and would never even get to become an adult. He was only seventeen years old, after all, and today he was breaking the Knothole record for the youngest person ever to be publicly executed.

He began to walk slowly across the stage, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground ahead of him. This was the most painful part, the walk to his death, the period of time where he was allowed to look back on his life. He had been a hero, one who had served the public well, and deep down, he had been a truly good person. He knew, in his heart of hearts, that he was not the one who was guilty, but he would accept his fate, without a doubt, because that was what a person like him did. A person like him, like Sonic the Hedgehog, would accept the fate that was handed to them with the best of grace and all the dignity they had remaining. That was what a true hero did.

He was about halfway across the stage already, but he was in no hurry to make his way across. He couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, still keeping his head down. It was ironic, really, that he had lived his life at the highest speed, and now, in the time of his death, speed was the very last thing on his mind.

His red and white sneakers shuffled across the thick wood of the platform, the trademark golden buckles on his shoes gleaming in the sunlight. The tears running down his face shimmered as they trailed down to his chin, a few even falling onto the wood of the platform below, soundlessly. Already he was almost to the end of his journey, where his life would end. Quickly, he flashed back to a better time, a time where he had been with all of his friends, smiling and laughing at trivial things. His life had been fast-paced and bright, just the way he had always envisioned it being. He had lived his life just the way he had wanted to, and now he could die, contented with that fact.

It was hard to believe his life was going to end so suddenly, so quickly. Now he stood at the end of the stage, the very edge awaiting him, an eerie, calm quiet falling over the crowd. The only sound to be heard was the wind rustling through the trees as his mental countdown began.

_Ten... nine... _

He stepped forward, on the very edge. He closed his eyes, as if to disappear from this place and run away to a completely different reality. This couldn't be real, it couldn't be happening... but it was. He was going to die, in just a few moments.

_Eight... seven..._

The rope went around his neck, being tied tightly but not tight enough to choke him just yet. The guard who had done so stepped backwards, taking their place behind him.

"Any last words, Sonic the Hedgehog?" The deep, gruff voice of the guard reached his ears.

He sniffled, looking out at the crowd for one last time.

_Six... five..._

His eyes of emerald green scanned the sea of familiar faces, tears welling up at the sight of the people he had come to know and love. Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Blaze, Silver, Antoine, Bunnie, The Chaotix, and even Shadow were all there, watching him with solemn expressions. His eyes locked onto a pair of tear-filled sapphires, and he bit his lip to keep from sobbing. Sally, the one he had loved and would miss the most, was gazing right into his eyes, for the final time.

_Four... three... _

"I'm sorry," He finally said, never breaking Sally's gaze for a minute. "To everyone I knew and loved, and to all who knew and loved me... I am sorry."

Sally hunched over, bursting into tears the second he was done speaking. At last he forced himself to look away from the crowd, take one last, deep breath, and close his eyes to the world.

_Two... _

He walked forward, taking one more step. His heart raced in his chest, his life flashing before his very eyes. He would be missed dearly, he knew, even if those he loved the most believed he had committed a horrible crime. Everyone would still love him, and cherish his memory... always.

_One._

He would not be forgotten.

_Zero. _

GAME OVER_


End file.
